Special Interests
The River Trails Park District offers numerous activities for youth and teens! Check out our current special interest class and Parkour Programs. Youth also enjoy our summer camps, dance and athletic programming.
Summer 2022
Music Start
Learn to read music and play tunes! This fun program teaches young students the beginnings of music! Using specialized, proprietary MusicStart keyboards, students learn to play familiar tunes in a group setting by color, letter, and note matching while using problem-solving strategies—without sacrificing any important musical knowledge–we are not taking shortcuts to play and reading music. Prepare your student to take any instrument by giving them a solid musical foundation with this exciting program!
Grade: K – 4
Location: The Zone
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 3:30-4:30pm | Jul 18-Aug 8 | $95/$113 |
Fall 2022
Young Magicians
Join us for a fun night of magic and mystery! Magic tricks will be taught that include cards, coins, ropes, and much more! You will discover that the tricks are quick to learn and easy to perform. All materials are provided on site. Each child will receive a magic kit to take home at the end of class. Participants are grouped by age and learn age appropriate tricks. New tricks are taught at each session, so sign up again and again!
Note: These classes take place at Arlington Heights Park District. Contracted by the Magic of Gary Kantor
Location: Arlington Heights Park District
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 6:30-7:25pm | Sep 19 | $25/$30 |
| Thu | 5-5:55pm | Nov 3 | $25/$30 |
Chess Scholars
Develop your child’s intellect through the royal game of chess! Current research has shown a strong link between chess and academic performance in a variety of areas, including mathematics and language arts. Chess has been proven to enhance children’s motivation, concentration, focus, social skills, and creativity. Each class will consist of a fun, interactive teaching period and guided practice time. Both beginner and experienced players are welcome and will learn under the guidance of an experienced Chess Scholars coach. No class on 11/8 and 11/22.
Grade: K – 5
| Location | Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Indian Grove School | Tue | 3:45-4:30pm | Sep 6-Oct 18 | $140/$160 |
| Indian Grove School | Tue | 3:45-4:30pm | Oct 25-Dec 13 | $120/$140 |
SafeSitter Courses
Do you feel ready to stay home alone, watch your brothers and sisters while your parents are gone, or babysit for younger children? Safe Sitter® is for kids and young teens in grades 4–8 ready to learn the skills needed to care for themselves and younger children. Safe Sitter® also teaches young teens life and business skills to be prepared, responsible, and considerate whether they are babysitting or doing odd jobs for family, friends, or neighbors. You’ll have fun and learn a lot. At the end of the day, you can proudly say, “I am a Safe Sitter®!”
Safe@Home
Grade: 4-6
Location: Burning Bush Community Center
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Sat | 10-11:30am | Sep 17 | $36/$44 |
Intro to Safe Babysitting
Grade: 6-8
Location: Burning Bush Community Center
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Sat | 10-11:30am | Oct 29 | $36/$44 |
Minecraft Basic Training for Beginners
Are your friends all into Minecraft, but you haven’t quite figured it out? This is for YOU! You and your partner will collaborate to learn essential crafting skills while searching for clues to unlock doors, complete scavenger hunts and more! You’ll get an introduction to the basics of computer networking, multidimensional objects and video game graphics. After completing this boot camp, you’ll have the basic tools to participate in more advanced Minecraft adventures!
No class 10/31.
Ages: 6-8
Location: Prospect Heights Park District
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 6-7:15pm | Oct 17-Nov 14 | $93/$112 |
Gears, Gears, Gears!
Explore gears using LEGO, as we work in teams of 2 and find out how gears make the world turn. We’ll make projects that crank, mesh, pump, push, pull, tug, and grind–all of which turn out to be very useful simple machines!
No class 10/31.
Ages: 4-6
Location: Burning Bush Community Center
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 6-7pm | Nov 28-Dec 12 | $56/$67 |
Robotics Academy
Explore the world of robotics and coding in this handson environment, full of experiments, exploration, and collaboration as we meet different robots and learn the challenges of programming and problem-solving.
No class 10/31.
Ages: 8-12
Location: Mt. Prospect Park District
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 6-7:15pm | Sep 19-Oct 3 | $93/$112 |
STEAM
This exciting program from Afterschool Enrichment Solutions brings together elements of science, art, and math in a hands-on, action-packed environment! Students will conduct experiments, play educational games, and unlock their creativity through building challenges and projects. No experience necessary!
No class 11/24.
Ages: K-5
Location: Euclid School
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Thu | 3:45-4:30pm | Sep 8-Oct 20 | $160/$180 |
| Thu | 3:45-4:30pm | Oct 27-Dec 15 | $160/$180 |
Children’s Theatre
A weekly musical theatre workshop culminates in a showcase featuring age-appropriate excerpts from smash-hit movie musicals! Students will learn the basics of vocal technique, choreography, and acting while working together to produce an in-class performance for family and friends. The showcase will take place during the last 30 minutes of our final class. Indian Grove students will be walked over to Burning Bush after school by RTPD staff.
Instructors: Margo Proeh, Gabrielle Garza & Children’s Theatre staff.
No class on 10/5 and 11/23.
Grade: K-6
Location: Burning Bush Community Center
| Name | Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Annie | Wed | 3:45-4:45pm | Sep 7-Oct 19 | $112/$132 |
| Willie Wonka | Thu | 3:45-4:45pm | Nov 2-Dec 14 | $112/$132 |
